The Ark of Safety Christian Church was incorporated in December 1998. The church inaugural service was on Sunday, March 7, 1999. The church started with one member in the home of Dr. Kevin and Pastor Brenda Cropper along with their two youngest children Kaveena and Justin. The oldest child Ardell was serving in the U.S. Army at the time. The church began to grow and to develop in the Word of God. While we intended to be out of the house within a year, God chose to maintain us there for three and a half years. During that time the church was continually growing while we searched for a building. Eventually, Pastor Brenda located a building on the corner of 62nd and Walnut St. Though it needed extensive work it was where God was placing us to work within the community. The rehab for the building was a reminder of how the Lord takes broken lives and restores them.
We served the area faithfully for eight years until the season was up. After those eight years God saw fit to move us into the Summit Inn hotel where we were again in search of a building to carry out the ministry service of the Kingdom of God. It was our intent to be in the hotel for only one year. Again, God saw fit to maintain us there for three years. During those years we were able to minister to a transient community. Individuals who were temporarily staying at the hotel would attend our services and be blessed by our worship experience. We would encourage them and pray for them. It was God’s way of taking the church to the people for that season for Kingdom service.
Once again, God used Pastor Brenda to locate a more stationary church home at our current location at 3875 Poplar St. God has once again blessed us to be in a location where the gospel of Jesus Christ is desperately needed. Our impact on the community and subsequent church growth has been the result of our committed outreach endeavors to impact the community with the goodness and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
On December 31, 2010, the Ark of Safety Christian Church joined the Bethel Deliverance International Fellowship of Churches under the leadership of the Presiding Prelate, Bishop Eric A. Lambert, Jr.
As we continue to carry out the mandate of the Lord Jesus Christ we intend to apply the vision of the church to the greatest extent by “Making Disciples for the Advancement of the Kingdom of God,” for the good of those in need, and for the good of the outlying community.